ECA Biology has now been changed into the ISTEP+ 10 Science test. There will be two parts.
ISTEP+ Grade 10 Science PART ONE (Late February-Early March)
Part one will be earlier in the year, over “The Nature of Science” standards. Here are the Indiana Nature of Science Standards to focus on as “Critical Content” (Standards 1, 3, 8, and 9) …
1.) Develop explanations based on reproducible data and observations gathered during laboratory investigations.
3.) Clearly communicate their ideas and results of investigations verbally and in written form using tables, graphs, diagrams, and photographs.
8.) Explain that the body of scientific knowledge is organized into major theories, which are derived from and supported by the results of many experiments and allow us to make testable predictions.
9.) Recognize that new scientific discoveries often lead to a re-evaulation of previously accepted scientific knowledge and of commonly held ideas.
There are 11 total nature of science standards, only 4 are critical. Nature of Science standards 2, 4-6, 10-11 are “important content” but not critical. Standard 7 is only “additional content”.
Other notes on Part One:
- PART ONE is an “applied skills (open-ended) assessment.
- Does not use “High school-level Biology content as context in any nature of science items”
ISTEP + Grade 10 Science PART TWO
Part two of the ISTEP+ 10 Science appears to be “Multiple-Choice and Technology-Enhanced item Assessment.”
Here are the “Critical Content” standards from the biology standards.
B.3.2 Describe how most organisms can combine and recombine the elements contained in sugar molecules into a variety of biologically essential compounds by utilizing the energy from cellular respiration.
B.3.4 Describe how matter cycles through an ecosystem by way of food chains and food webs and how organisms convert that matter into a variety of organic molecules to be used in part in their own cellular structures.
B.4.2 Describe how human activities and natural phenomena can change the flow and of matter and energy in an ecosystem and how those changes impact other species.
B.5.1 Describe the relationship between chromosomes and DNA along with their basic structure and function.
B.5.2 Describe how hereditary information passed from parents to offspring is encoded in the regions of DNA molecules called genes.
B.6.1 Describe the process of mitosis and explain that this process ordinarily results in daughter cells with a genetic make-up identical to the parent cells.
B.6.4 Describe and model the process of meiosis and explain the relationship between the genetic make-up of the parent cell and the daughter cells (i.e., gametes).
B.7.1 Distinguish between dominant and recessive alleles and determine the phenotype that would result from the different possible combinations of alleles in an offspring.
B.7.4 Explain the process by which a cell copies its DNA and identify factors that can damage DNA and cause changes in its nucleotide sequence.
B.8.5 Describe how organisms with beneficial traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on their genetic information due to genetic variations, environmental forces and reproductive pressures.
Sources:
Overall ISTEP 10 Website http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/istep-grade-10
ISTEP Science 10 Blueprint http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/assessment/grade-10-science-blueprint2015-16final.pdf
ISTEP Science Instructional and Assessment Guidance
